Sunday, April 16, 2006

It's A Jeep Thing

My history with Jeeps started back in early 1990 when I was 2 years removed from graduating from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. I was working for a pizza place and I happened to deliver a pizza to the manager and son in law to the Reuther Jeep family. Actually during college I worked part time for an auto replacement company and I kept up with used car inventories for about 20 dealerships and Reuther Jeep/Eagle was one of them.

We recognized each other as I delivered the pizza and jokingly mentioned that I'd rather sell Jeeps than deliver pizzas. A few weeks later I was one of the first "non-family" salespersons for Reuther Jeep/Eagle. I started May 5, 1990 and I remember watching The Kentucky Derby on my first Saturday. I sold Jeeps for them from 1990-1996 and owned 2 different CJ-7's and 2 1997 Jeep Wranglers. I first bought a 4 cylinder and traded it in on a 6 cylinder right before I quit Reuthers to move to Texas.

Long story short, I got to relive some of my Jeep soft top days this weekend when a co-worker of mine let me use her Jeep in exchange for a thorough detailing. Yesterday I took my family on a drive through the outskirts of Dallas where farmland is slowly being churned into new home subdivisions. Sunny and in the 70's matched with a stiff breeze made Jeepin on a Saturday a blast. Sunblock for everyone!

Whenever I clean Jeeps for friends I romanticize about owning a soft-top Jeep again. Not just any Jeep because I have a Jeep Liberty, but the authentic, take the top off, Jeep.

Ironically a good friend in St. Louis called his Suzuki Samurai a "Jeep." I DON'T THINK SO. I'd never put my "It's A Jeep Thing" on the rear spare of that vehicle.